A Democratic Texas state representative said her Republican-assigned police escort threatened to arrest her in front of her constituents while she was on her morning walk.
State Rep. Sheryl Cole (D) was one of many Democrats forcibly assigned a police escort amid a contentious battle between the state’s Republicans and Democrats over GOP gerrymandering efforts pushed by President Donald Trump.
“While on my morning walk in the Mueller neighborhood, my [Department of Public Safety] escort, who was forced upon me to track my every movement, threatened to arrest me. He lost me on the trail, got angry about it, and made a scene in front of my constituents on the trail,” Cole wrote in an online post, adding that she is a “little shaken up” but remains “undeterred by this intimidation tactic by House Republicans.”
Texas Republicans have moved forward with a racist redistricting attempt that would grant them an extra five Republican congressional seats. As a result, more than 50 Texas Democrats fled the state on Aug. 3 to delay the gerrymandering for two weeks, prompting House Speaker Dustin Burrows (R) to threaten their arrest.
Upon the lawmakers’ return on Monday, Burrows said each of the Democrats would have to sign a slip authorizing a Department of Public Safety officer to surveil them until Wednesday, when the House is scheduled to reconvene.
